Connect with By John D. Harden / Staff Writer

Singer, songwriter who attended UNT killed in recent hunting accident

Singer, songwriter Steve Fromholz, who attended the University of North Texas in the mid-1960s, died Sunday in a hunting accident.

The Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office on Monday said the accident happened at the Flying B Ranch near Eldorado, about 40 miles south of San Angelo.

Chief Deputy George Arispe said Fromholz, 68, was taken to a hospital in Eldorado, where he died a short time later.

Arispe said Fromholz, who lived in the area, was on a hunting trip with his girlfriend when a rifle fell from a case as it was being transferred from one vehicle to another. The rifle discharged when it struck the ground, Arispe said.

Karla K. Morton, a Denton resident and the 2010 Texas Poet Laureate, said she and Fromholz met and talked a lot at different events.

“He was such a good man, such a funny man,” Morton said. “He was larger than life. He was one of those great Texas outlaw musicians. I think he wrote my favorite Willie Nelson song, ‘I Must Be Crazy.’

“One thing I can say about Steve is that he was true to the craft rather than commercial success,” Morton said. “And that probably hurt him as far as having a larger market, you know.But that’s just who he was. He was a lyricist.”

Morton said Fromholz was a funny and humble man who was never too good for the room.

“I remember him talking about Denton and his green bean tour — where he’d play the Rotary Club, the Lions Club and that kind of thing. Just a funny, funny man. We’ve lost a great man of Texas music and Texas letters,” she said.

During a career that spanned more than 40 years, Fromholz recorded for ABC Probe, Capitol Records, Tried & True Records, Willie Nelson’s Lone Star label and his own Felicity Records label.

In November 2011 he released his latest CD, Steven Fromholz’ Texas Trilogy Goes to G’Nashville, on his own Laughing Bear Entertainment label.

Fromholz attended what was then North Texas State University from September 1963 to January 1965,according to university records. However, the records from those days do not list a major, a university spokesman said.

Fomholz was named 2007 State Poet Laureate for his quality of work and outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas during the 80th legislative session.

The prestigious position is given to Texans who have received recognition for high levels of excellence and success in their respective disciplines.

Fromholz, who was born June8, 1945, in Temple, played in folk bands with fellow students when he attended North Texas State University.

His affection for the rustic landscape of his home state inspired much of his work, including his well-known“Texas Trilogy,” a three-song homage to small-town life.

JOHN D. HARDEN can be reached at 940-566-6882 and via Twitter at @Jdharden.